F-35 Tug o’ War (8) Interesting point from this columnist: “…. While the Auditor General was clear that ministers were often kept in the dark by the bureaucrats and uniforms, our Westminster system of government means ministers ultimately bear responsibility. The theory is that if they didn’t know what was going on, they should have. Peter MacKay, the Defence Minister, has said he was not involved in the file after Julian Fantino took over the procurement file after the 2011 election. But fairly or not, he is carrying the can for the whole file. He explained why he became such an advocate of the F-35 at the press conference Wednesday: “I feel passionately about my obligation to ensure the Canadian Forces have the best equipment to ensure mission success – they assume unlimited liability.” This passion seems to have blunted his political antenna about the sharp practice that clearly operated in National Defence. As the government takes on water over this file, as it will do, it is hard to see how Mr. MacKay can continue in his post ….”

F-35 Tug o’ War (9) I’ve given you the barest highlights – more on what’s going on here (Google News) or here (European Commission news aggregator)